Soil sciences are a cluster of scientific disciplines focused on the physical, chemical, biological, and mineralogical properties and processes of soils as natural bodies and as dynamic systems within the critical zone. They encompass soil genesis and classification (pedology), soil physics (water, gas, energy transport), soil chemistry (ion exchange, sorption, redox, nutrient cycling), and soil biology and ecology (microbial and faunal communities, decomposition, biogeochemical transformations). Soil sciences provide quantitative frameworks for understanding soil functions in terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon and nutrient cycling, plant growth support, contaminant fate, and regulation of hydrological processes, and underpin evidence-based management in agriculture, forestry, environmental remediation, and climate research.
Brazilian researchers have developed an index that can measure the health of mangrove soils at different stages. When applied to degraded, restored, and preserved areas, the index revealed that healthy mangroves, including ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 10, 2026
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41
Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is among the most damaging pests affecting soybean crops around the world, with current management strategies relying primarily on a very narrow set of resistant soybean varieties, along with crop ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 5, 2026
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20
Underground, intricate networks of soil fungi underpin the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Yet despite their global importance, only 30% of global ecosystems have been sampled for these fungal partners. Arbuscular ...
Ecology
Feb 27, 2026
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24
Phosphorus is essential for plant growth and ecosystem productivity. In many natural forests, plants rely on soil microbes to release bioavailable phosphorus from organic matter. The PhoD gene, which encodes the key enzyme ...
Ecology
Feb 11, 2026
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14
A decade-long study has revealed that rising atmospheric CO₂ and warming work together to reduce the availability of phosphorus in rice-upland crop rotation systems, potentially threatening future food security. The research, ...
Agriculture
Feb 11, 2026
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25
The soil microbiome is critical for the ecosystem, and agricultural practices that promote microbial diversity can support plant health and help protect against pests. But it is unclear which practices are most beneficial, ...
Agriculture
Feb 11, 2026
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24
Deep soils found in forests may be less effective at storing carbon in the long term than previously assumed, potentially reducing the net climate benefits of tree planting, a University of Stirling professor has warned. ...
Ecology
Feb 10, 2026
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84
Farmers now have more reasons to consider rotating their crops, University of Alberta research shows. Widely used to restore soil health, the agricultural practice boosts the diversity of bacterial and fungal microbes that ...
Ecology
Feb 10, 2026
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16
Accurate measurement of soil NO₃⁻-N is essential for precision fertilization and stable crop yields. Real-time monitoring of NO₃⁻-N has long been a challenge in agriculture. Conventional soil nutrient testing relies on time-consuming ...
Biotechnology
Feb 10, 2026
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20
A team of researchers has demonstrated how biological systems could transform the way sustainable urban drainage systems manage polluted soils, pointing to a future in which urban infrastructure is greener, cheaper and more ...
Environment
Feb 10, 2026
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14
